Chapter 7: Reunite

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"So do we know why Arthur would have come in here alone? Or do we think he was dragged in by something else?" Gwaine asked. Tactful, the rogue was not. Merlin shook his head, following after Leon. The forest had been quiet since they'd entered. No ghosts or specters to speak of and Merlin was growing paranoid that around every corner they'd end up falling into a precipice of some sort. Light was diminishing all the while and Merlin was growing tired, however he didn't want to stop until they'd found Arthur.

"We're not sure, Gwaine. But there were no signs of struggle," Leon said shortly. Merlin was honestly a bit surprised that the rest of the knights had allowed Gwaine to follow at all. Only Leon and Bryant were with them now, the other three had circled in a different direction no matter that Merlin had warned them against it. He had grown so tired of having sound advice ignored.

"Do we think Carrow came to collect him? Would he have followed her in, do you think?"

"Would you follow a witch into a haunted forest?" Bryant asked.

"Depends. She a looker?" Gwaine said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Not exactly," Merlin said, thinking of Carrow's damaged face. But part of him wondered if perhaps it was a disguise of some sort. He had rolled issues of trust concerning Carrow around in his mind often enough, but each time they had been discarded and shoved to the side. There were too many ways where she seemed to be a victim here for her to be playing games with them. Unless she knew how to manifest ghosts as well, but that would have taken a far more powerful witch than herself.

"What does not exactly mean?" he pressed.

"Means she's a freak, mate. But hey, who knows what the prince is into these days?" Bryant said. Merlin frowned at the back of Bryant's head, wondering when the young knight had grown such gall. Granted Merlin hadn't known Bryant for very long, he had only been knighted a month and a half ago. Arthur had said he'd only made it by the skin of his teeth, though. Leon slapped Bryant upside the head for his comment. Leon reminded Merlin quite a lot of a mother hen at times.

"She used to be beautiful, I'm sure, but she's sort of scarred now," Merlin explained.

"Ah. Well, that probably disproves my theory of the young Prince running off to elope, then," Gwaine said.

"Not necessarily, though it would probably be against his will. Honestly I could see Carrow doing such a thing. Certainly wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen out here," Merlin said, giving Gwaine a worried smile. What he needed was a moment alone, he'd been trying to think of some sort of spell to quietly lead them to Arthur. He didn't want anything flashy, just something to help them find his trail. Merlin recalled Carrow's insistence that the trees of Malorne liked to move. He didn't doubt that now as nothing looked remotely familiar from the last time he was here. Not that this was saying much. Merlin was rubbish at tracking.

Dawdling a bit while Gwaine, Bryant, and Leon chatted about the sorts of things that indeed made a good woman, Merlin struggled with a spell that would sense Arthur's presence. A finding spell, of sorts. It was a small white orb that hummed quietly, Merlin felt he could blame the forest if they asked about it and fabricate a trail to explain his reasoning for going a certain way. It curved westward and Merlin called after the knights.

"What makes you think he's gone that way?"

"Footprints, two sets, see? I think we've finally found their trail," Merlin lied. Gwaine looked at him suspiciously then nodded.

"Don't know how we missed those, well done, Merlin," Gwaine said. Merlin had gotten the feeling that Gwaine had begun to suspect him when they first met, though he didn't know how. Gwaine just always seemed to have some kind of knowing grin on his face, though that didn't mean he actually knew anything, did it?

Gwaine clapped Merlin on the back as they passed. "So you've got nothing to add then, Merlin?" Bryant said. As he'd missed half their conversation he wasn't sure what the man was on about. Though he did notice that Bryant had suddenly adopted Arthur's way of enunciating the first syllable of his name which made Merlin bristle irritably.

"About what?" Merlin asked.

"About what makes a perfect woman," Leon grunted.

"Um," Merlin said, not really knowing what sort of answer they happened to be looking for. Freya crossed his mind briefly as she did from time to time. Time to time being at least once a day. "I don't know. Someone good and kind. Someone I could be myself around is really all I could ask for."

"My you're easy," Bryant said, snorting at him.

"Hold on, did you see that?" Gwaine said suddenly. Merlin's heart jumped as he thought it must be his tracker orb that Gwaine must have seen. "I think it looked like a woman." Merlin glanced around, knowing that no matter how drunk Gwaine may or may not still be, he wouldn't mistake a glowing orb of light for a woman.

Gwaine took off running through the trees, Merlin following close behind, spotting the orb headed in the same direction as Gwaine was running. He saw no woman, though, and wondered if Gwaine hadn't gotten that ghost he'd wanted.

"Don't you see her?" Gwaine shouted behind him.

"No, are you sure, Gwaine?" Leon replied.

"Yes, yes! Look, she's right there for godsake!" Gwaine stopped then, as they came to a creek. Merlin wasn't sure, but he thought it might be the same one that they had rested at all those days ago. Skidding to a halt, the knights looked around for the woman that Gwaine had been talking about, but Merlin was looking at the ground. He wondered if perhaps there might still be some clue that he, Arthur, and Carrow had been there.

"We've been here, Arthur and I," Merlin said as he spotted the remains of the small fire pit Carrow had cooked their fish in. At least he was fairly sure it was from them, it had nearly been destroyed. As he pointed at the pit, he saw, through the corner of his eye, the watchful woman in white.

"What're you doin' here, love? It's alright we're not going to hurt you," Gwaine said, reaching out to her carefully. It seemed that he was having an easier job seeing her now than Merlin was.

"Gwaine, I think you've lost it, mate, there's nothing there," Bryant said.

"Shut it, Bryant," Leon barked. He may not be able to see it, but Merlin thought that Leon must at least believe where the younger knight seemed to think that they'd all gone off the deep end, following only because it was his duty not to argue.

Gwaine made his way toward the woman, at least that was what Merlin thought. He couldn't see her unless he looked at her in a very particular way, it was irritating the piss out of him, actually. Was she choosing who she appeared to or was it something else? The dead were a fickle bunch, that was for damn sure.

"Definitely sure she's dead then," Gwaine said. "I didn't notice earlier, but her neck's… been slit."

"Before what? You've seen her before?" Merlin asked.

"She wants us to follow, I think," Gwaine said, his attention elsewhere. Merlin wondered if little tracking orb hadn't simply been for nothing.

"Is she saying anything?"

"She's just motioning for me to follow. Kind of hard for her to talk with a hole in her throat, mate," Gwaine replied. He then proceeded to follow. No question about it, he just went for it. Merlin bit the inside of his cheek wearily before galloping up the slick rocks after him.

"Yeah, you two head off on your wild goose chase then! It's probably one of those damn spectres!" Bryant called.

"Merlin, we'll set up camp here, it's getting late anyway," Leon said reluctantly. Merlin saw the sense in that, but Gwaine had already disappeared into thick of the forest. He nodded at at Leon, figuring this was a good beacon anyway for when they made their way back.

"If we're not back by tomorrow afternoon then…. you come and find us," Merlin said. Leon smiled, nodding. Bryant just huffed.

Bounding into the forest after Gwaine, he caught up with him quickly enough and Gwaine continued his pace after the woman, Merlin following blindly after. Until Gwaine suddenly stopped, peering into the forest at what he assumed must be the ghost. "She… something just took her."

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, a fear growing in his belly.

"Don't you hear that?" Merlin strained his ears, but all he could hear was the wind rustling through the trees. Maybe an owl.

"Hear what?"

"It's like… it's gurgling. I think that's her! Damn it, she's in trouble! It was like… I don't know, I think it was a knight or something, he just grabbed her and the two disappeared," Gwaine said, spinning around and putting his hands on his head. He was suddenly very serious, worry in his eyes.

"I think she was trying to lead us to Arthur," Merlin said, spotting his glowing orb bouncing erratically twenty feet ahead.

"Yes, I know that. That silly little ball of yours has been only just ahead of her this whole time," Gwaine said.

"My… my ball? What?"

"Now's not the time for you to beg me not to spill the beans to Arthur, mate. Don't worry about it. It's me you're talking to," Gwaine said, managing a smile in spite of the concern that still plagued his features. Merlin was taken aback by this sudden revelation. He thought he'd been doing a rather good job of keeping his secret, but assuredly not. But Gwaine was right, now wasn't the time to deal with that.

And yet, "How long have you known?"

"First time we met you magicked half a dozen bloody plates to zoom across the room. Course I chocked that up to my being inebriated, but then at the melee I saw you up in the stands with that shit eating grin on your face after the fake Sir Oswald fell off his bloody horse, I knew you'd done something. Just didn't know what," Gwaine said.

"But that doesn't -"

"Then at the bar, I saw your eyes glow and a bench fly into the men attacking Sir Leon. I mean there's just too many coincidences, Merlin."

Merlin pursed his lips, following close behind Gwaine and the little golden ball of light. Gaius was going to be absolutely appalled that Gwaine knew of his magic, but Merlin couldn't see the harm at the moment. The rogue was a good man and a reasonable one. Besides that Gwaine had never been very adamant about magic one way or the other. The only thing Gwaine disliked were nobles and even then, he was risking his life to save one right now. Besides, it would be nice not to have to pretend, at least around one person. Even so, Merlin's stomach was churning at the idea.

They walked for another hour in silence, afraid that if they were too loud they may stir something else in the forest. Gwaine seemed to be deep in thought, something which Merlin found oddly comical. He wasn't the sort to be deep in anything. Merlin knew it was probably about the ghost woman. Merlin's guess was that she was taken by another ghost, the knight that nearly attacked him at the old camp flashed through his mind. Carrow had said that he had been stuck in some sort of loop, then how could they interact with one another? It was clear the woman had broken free of hers, it would make sense another could. And the other didn't want her helping them.

"One more step and I'll put a hole in your belly." Gwaine stopped short, and Merlin saw the glint of a blade against Gwaine's stomach.

"Easy now," Gwaine said, raising his hands in surrender.

Merlin, however, didn't move.

"How's about you show off some of them fancy tricks of yours, Merlin," Gwaine said, raising an eyebrow at Merlin.

"Yeah, Merlin, show us a magic trick. Somethin' shiny, come on," Carrow said, coming into view. The tracking orb glowed softly around her face for a moment and then flew toward the mouth of a cave.

"Mind keeping it down? I don't need Prince Charming finding out," Merlin hissed, nauseous at the very idea. Gwaine's reveal had been quite enough for one evening.

"This is your witch, I presume - ouch, hey easy with that thing, lady!" Gwaine said as Carrow jabbed him a bit harder.

"Carrow! It's alright, Gwaine's with me," Merlin said, motioning for her to lower the sword. "Where's Arthur?"

"I chopped him up into little pieces and put him in a stew," Carrow said. Merlin could hear the smirk forming on her face. He knew that Arthur must be in the cave, after all the orb had been programmed with him in mind. It wouldn't have gone anywhere if Arthur wasn't alright. Carrow held the sword against Gwaine for only a second longer, before dropping it.

She glanced at Merlin. "Your boyfriend's in there, but do be quiet. He needs his beauty sleep. He's had a big day, all tuckered out," Carrow said, tone condescending. Merlin shook his head, but headed towards the cave, which seemed to be glowing with those odd runes. He recognized a few of them from his readings on ghosts, they were darker runes, ones that Carrow hadn't used. Necromantic runes. His skin began to crawl as he wondered where the hell they were, he hoped Carrow would fill them in.

Slipping into the cave quietly, he saw that Arthur really was asleep, his chest rising and falling softly. Merlin let out a sigh of relief. He supposed that with Arthur safe and sound that meant his itchy little destiny was still intact. He had actually been worried that Arthur had been led to his death or that Carrow was planning some ritual sacrifice that required royalty. You would be surprised how often that was some sort of stipulation for dark magic. Merlin would have thought they'd make their spells require the blood of a commoner, something more readily available.

Deciding to let Arthur get some well earned sleep, Merlin edged back outside. Carrow was chatting with Gwaine, now holding a torch which glowed warmly.

"Is that Arthur's sword?" Merlin asked.

"Why yes it is," she replied with a smile. Merlin raised an eyebrow at her. "What? He threw mine out here somewhere, I just haven't found it yet," she said, shrugging. Arthur wouldn't be pleased about that when he woke up.

"Why did he throw -"

"Carrow's been telling me about the ghosts, Merlin, she says that they seem to have a pesky little iron allergy," Gwaine said, interrupting Merlin's train of thought.

He nodded, recalling something about that in his reading.

"When were you going to tell me that?" Gwaine asked.

"Well it didn't occur to me! Do I have to think of everything?" Merlin said, scratching his head irritably as he tried to keep his voice down. "Speaking of which, why did you steal Arthur away in the middle of the night?"

"Not the best segue, Merlin, but I'll take it," Carrow said, grinning at him.

"Before we get into all that, can we take a seat? My feet are bloody killing me," Gwaine said, grimacing. Merlin happened to agree with him. He was growing sick of travel and honestly couldn't wait until this entire adventure was over. Unfortunately he didn't think that was going to happen very soon.

Gwaine gathered wood for a small fire and they gathered around it so that Carrow could fill them in. Merlin set about trying to light when Carrow grabbed his arm.

"Merlin, love, do it properly," she said. It took Merlin a moment to catch her meaning. He looked hesitantly at Gwaine, who gave him a very small but encouraging smile. Merlin whispered a few syllables, his eyes flashed gold, and a fire burst forth from the wood. Carrow clapped, then quickly stopped, glancing back at the cave to see if Arthur had stirred from his sleep.

"That's quite handy," Gwaine grunted, sitting back in the leaves. He made a pained sound as he did so and lifted up another sword.

"You found it!" Carrow said happily, taking the blunt sword from him and lying it next to Arthur's.

"Alright, then, Carrow, mind spinning us a story?" Gwaine said.

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It didn't take all that long for Carrow to tell her side of the story. Arthur had followed the ghost of her son, Thomas, into the forest, the boy who'd been plaguing his dreams. Apparently the boy thought Arthur would be of use in the quest to free the forest. She had told them that Thomas had been murdered by Keldor, the leader of a Saxon army who destroyed Maestag all those years ago. Apparently he was some kind of necromancer who's evil managed to persist even through death. Merlin noticed that she seemed to be glossing over quite a bit of the tale, being uncharacteristically concise, clear even.

The ghosts of the forest were more or less under this Keldor's control and he wanted Carrow's body as some sort of conductor for his power so that he could resurface permanently on the physical realm.

"But then why isn't he taking you right now?" Gwaine asked. "We're right next to his… cave, with all the… doodles, shouldn't he be sweeping in and gutting us all?"

"He can't, he needs something else. I don't know what it is but… when he managed to almost get me before, it was after he'd spilled innocent blood. Necromancy is such an old wishy washy branch of magic, I haven't been able to find very much good information on it," Carrow said.

"Is it part of the Old Religion?" Merlin asked.

"No. The Old Religion gets most of its power from what is natural - the Earth, the elements. Necromancy is a perverted form of magic, if it has any ties whatsoever to the Old Religion they have all been distorted," Carrow said, disgust reading in her eyes. Merlin nodded, glancing at Gwaine who's gaze sort of glazed over whenever they broke off to discuss magic.

"Right, whatever that means. How do we get rid of this bastard, I can't jab him in the heart with an iron sword?"

"No, because I tried that," Arthur said coming up behind them yawning. "What in the hell are you doing here, you drunken sod?"

"The usual, saving your ass," Gwaine replied, grinning. Merlin hoped that Arthur really had just woken up and hadn't overheard most of their conversation. Arthur was usually a fairly deep sleeper, though he supposed it would have been hard to sleep very deep in this place with a shifty witch keeping watch. Though it occurred to Merlin that he ought to be surprised Arthur trusted Carrow enough to fall asleep with only her to watch his back.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, clotpole. Well, sort of," Merlin said, scooting over on his log for Arthur to sit next to him. Arthur took the seat, elbowing Merlin painfully in the ribs as he did so by way of hello, thank you for coming to save my life. "What do you mean you already tried that?"

"Oh I may have left that bit out," Carrow said, smiling sheepishly at Arthur, who rolled his eyes at her.

"Keldor sort of attacked us when she tried some sort of spell earlier," Arthur said stiffly. "The iron only halts him for a second but he sort of just powers through it. I had to knock her out to break whatever… connection it is they have." Merlin frowned at this, wondering what the hell sort of connection Keldor and she had. He felt like he was missing part of the story.

"Do those cuts on your face fit into the story, Carrow?" Merlin said, realizing she hadn't said what happened there.

"No, Merlin. What we've got to do is find someone who does know about necromancy. I was thinking… why couldn't we fight fire with fire? He's dead, isn't he? Why can't we use his bloody runes against him?" Arthur said. Merlin was shocked that Arthur seemed to be suggesting they use magic to fight Keldor. In fact, Merlin didn't understand why Arthur seemed so adamant about this whole thing. Something had changed.

"Can't we just burn the whole forest down?" Gwaine asked.

"Yes, so then they could just haunt a field," Carrow replied. Gwaine frowned smugly at her, crossing his arms.

"That would just change the scenery, Gwaine. Arthur's right, well, perhaps not entirely. Using necromancy seems iffy at best," Merlin said. Merlin was trying to think, who would know about necromancy, how to fight it? He knew it was beyond Gaius. Merlin just didn't know that many other sorcerers. Except, of course, for the ones bent on Camelot's destruction. Morgauese came to mind, but that was obviously useless. "What about the druids?"

"The druids?" Gwaine asked. "I've never even seen one o' them."

"I don't think the druids would welcome my presence," Arthur said.

"No, but perhaps if only Carrow and I went?" Merlin said.

Arthur seemed to mull this over, though Merlin had been expected to be shot down immediately.

"We don't even know where they are," Carrow said. She didn't seem very taken with the idea and Merlin wondered why.

"Yes, but I'm sure Giaus might," Merlin replied.

"Then we'd have to travel all the way back to Camelot," Carrow said.

"Which I happened to be banned from," Gwaine added, he sounded quite proud of himself. Merlin didn't fancy that idea much, either, his feet were still throbbing.

"How do you get banned from an entire kingdom?" Carrow asked, sincerely intrigued by the idea. Merlin guessed that Gwaine and Carrow might actually get on, though he didn't know if that was necessarily good. He didn't even want to think of the trouble they might end up in, both of them egging the other on. It would be catastrophic.

"One simply has to try and save the Prince's life. Instant ban for life," Gwaine said.

"Not exactly important," Arthur said firmly. Carrow giggled quietly.

"Are you always the damsel, then, sweet prince?" Carrow asked.

"Is that my bloody sword?" Arthur retorted, looking at his empty scabbard and then back at Carrow who had been loftily drawing her protection runes into the dirt with his sword.

She shrugged. "You weren't using it." Arthur hopped up to take it from her as she drew it out of reach, taunting him for a second before letting him have it. Merlin rolled his eyes at the pair of them, glancing at Gwaine who was sporting a suggestive grin.

Just as Arthur had settled down again, Carrow suddenly hopped to her feet, eyes widening. Merlin looked where she was looking, but saw nothing. Every time she did something like this, he wondered if it wasn't just for her own amusement. But Gwaine's eyes had gone wide in horror as well.

"What is it you two?" Merlin said. His question was answered shortly thereafter when the woman in white appeared. She was drifting there in front of them. She looked as if she had been drowned, blood still seeped from the slit in her throat. There were chains around her wrists now, recently broken. When he had seen her the first time, in the forest, she hadn't been this way. She had been whole and beautiful, he assumed as she had been in life.

"What has he done to you?" Carrow asked in horror. She tried to speak, but it only came out a frothy, gurgled mess.

Gwaine went towards her holding out his hand. "She… I helped you just the other day though, your cart! You were fine then!"

"No, Gwaine, she was always dead," Merlin whispered sadly, taking a step forward as well as he realized why Gwaine had said he'd seen her before.

"She's trying to tell us something, that bastard slit her throat so she couldn't, didn't he?" Arthur asked Carrow, who nodded sadly.

"Le-Leave," the woman managed. "Dr.. Dru…"

"Druids?" Gwaine offered. She nodded. Her eyes widened and she blipped out of existence.

##

So… Reunited and it feels so good? Yeah, cheesy music for the win. Um, sorry this took longer than usual to get up, school's kicking my ass. I don't think I ever mentioned this, but the story's set just after the episode "Gwaine," which is like season 3 episode 4. But I mean, from here on out it's going to be very AU, but still self contained. If that makes sense.

Your comments/reviews are absolutely adored, thanks for keeping up with me!